After 20 years of musical evolution, Anathama arrives in Philly for tour

Anathema, a band from Liverpool, has been around since 1992. The hard-rocking group has released nine studio albums, three EPs and two live albums. Over the years Anathema has toured extensively around the world -- except in America.

The band has been conspicuously absent as a live act in the states. Anathema has only performed twice as a full band in North America -- at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in 2000 and 2001.

Anathema has just arrived for a North American tour with co-headliner Alcest and special guest Mamiffer. The tour begins on Sept. 12 in Philadelphia with a show at Underground Arts.

“We’ve never toured America so you can imagine how excited we are,” said Vincent Cavanagh, during a recent phone interview from his home in Paris. “Like every young rocker from Liverpool, the dream is to tour America.”

When Anathema, whose name means “something or someone that one vehemently dislikes,” began playing more than 20 years ago, it was as a dark and gloomy metal band. Over the years, the band’s music became more atmospheric and experimental and less dirge metal.

“Not having toured in America all these years is a blessing in disguise because of where the band is now,” said Cavanagh. “America is a clean slate for us. We can show what we can do now and not have to deal with any preconceptions. America is our place. Our music is perfect for America.

“Our first album came out in 1993 so we’re celebrating our 20th anniversary. We’ve had a massive evolution in our sound. We were around 15 when we started so the change for us has been completely natural.”

Even though the personnel are basically the same, the band that released its debut album “Serenades” in 1993 is vastly different from the band that recorded “Weather Systems” in 2012.

“Not many bands have gone through such a dramatic change,” said Cavanagh. “Albums are like a snapshot of what you can do at the time. Metal was a part of growing up but, as Liverpool musicians, the Beatles were always within us.

“Loud metal music was what we played when we started -- when we were just kids. Everything our band has done has been a natural evolution. Our early stuff was ‘post-rock’ before its time. The band progresses all the time. Each album sounds different. The shift to clean vocals happened when I became the singer.

“The fourth album (“Alternative 4” in 1998) was when I learned how to sing -- to drop the bravado and just sing. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to improve. When I sing, it feels like I’m a passenger. The sound passes through me. Singing and creativity go hand-in-hand.”